CAPM : Certified Associate in Project Management (PMI-100) : Part 35

CAPM : Certified Associate in Project Management (PMI-100) : Part 35

1. Which baselines make up the performance measurement baseline?

   • Scope baseline, cost baseline, and schedule baseline
   • Scope baseline, project management baseline, and quality baseline
   • Cost baseline, schedule baseline, and risk baseline
   • Cost baseline, project management baseline, and schedule baseline

   Explanation:
   Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB). An approved, integrated scope-schedule-cost plan for the project work against which project execution is compared to measure and manage performance. The PMB includes contingency reserve, but excludes management reserve.

2. The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements describes management of which of the following?

   • Project
   • Scope
   • Contract
   • Program
   Explanation:
   1.3 What is Project Management?
   Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. Project management is accomplished through the appropriate application and integration of the 47 logically grouped project management processes, which are categorized into fve Process Groups. These five Process Groups are:
   – Initiating,
   – Planning,
   – Executing,
   – Monitoring and Controlling, and
   – Closing.

3. Prototype development may be used as a tool for which of the following risk response strategies?

   • Avoid
   • Accept
   • Mitigate
   • Exploit
   Explanation:

   11.5.2.1 Strategies for Negative Risks or Threats
   Three strategies, which typically deal with threats or risks that may have negative impacts on project objectives if they occur, are: avoid, transfer, and mitigate. The fourth strategy, accept, can be used for negative risks or threats as well as positive risks or opportunities. Each of these risk response strategies have varied and unique influence on the risk condition. These strategies should be chosen to match the risk’s probability and impact on the project’s overall objectives. Avoidance and mitigation strategies are usually good strategies for critical risks with high impact, while transference and acceptance are usually good strategies for threats that are less critical and with low overall impact. The four strategies for dealing with negative risks or threats are further described as follows:

   – Avoid. Risk avoidance is a risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to eliminate the threat or protect the project from its impact. It usually involves changing the project management plan to eliminate the threat entirely. The project manager may also isolate the project objectives from the risk’s impact or change the objective that is in jeopardy. Examples of this include extending the schedule, changing the strategy, or reducing scope. The most radical avoidance strategy is to shut down the project entirely. Some risks that arise early in the project can be avoided by clarifying requirements, obtaining information, improving communication, or acquiring expertise.
   – Transfer. Risk transference is a risk response strategy whereby the project team shifts the impact of a threat to a third party, together with ownership of the response. Transferring the risk simply gives another party responsibility for its management—it does not eliminate it. Transferring does not mean disowning the risk by transferring it to a later project or another person without his or her knowledge or agreement. Risk transference nearly always involves payment of a risk premium to the party taking on the risk. Transferring liability for risk is most effective in dealing with financial risk exposure. Transference tools can be quite diverse and include, but are not limited to, the use of insurance, performance bonds, warranties, guarantees, etc. Contracts or agreements may be used to transfer liability for specified risks to another party. For example, when a buyer has capabilities that the seller does not possess, it may be prudent to transfer some work and its concurrent risk contractually back to the buyer. In many cases, use of a cost-plus contract may transfer the cost risk to the buyer, while a fixed-price contract may transfer risk to the seller.
   – Mitigate. Risk mitigation is a risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to reduce the probability of occurrence or impact of a risk. It implies a reduction in the probability and/or impact of an adverse risk to be within acceptable threshold limits. Taking early action to reduce the probability and/or impact of a risk occurring on the project is often more effective than trying to repair the damage after the risk has occurred. Adopting less complex processes, conducting more tests, or choosing a more stable supplier are examples of mitigation actions. Mitigation may require prototype development to reduce the risk of scaling up from a bench-scale model of a process or product. Where it is not possible to reduce probability, a mitigation response might address the risk impact by targeting linkages that determine the severity. For example, designing redundancy into a system may reduce the impact from a failure of the original component.
   – Accept. Risk acceptance is a risk response strategy whereby the project team decides to acknowledge the risk and not take any action unless the risk occurs. This strategy is adopted where it is not possible or cost-effective to address a specific risk in any other way. This strategy indicates that the project team has decided not to change the project management plan to deal with a risk, or is unable to identify any other suitable response strategy. This strategy can be either passive or active. Passive acceptance requires no action except to document the strategy, leaving the project team to deal with the risks as they occur, and to periodically review the threat to ensure that it does not change significantly. The most common active acceptance strategy is to establish a contingency reserve, including amounts of time, money, or resources to handle the risks.

4. Which index is the calculated projection of cost performance that must be achieved on the remaining work to meet a specified management goal?

   • Estimate at completion
   • Cost performance
   • Schedule performance
   • To-complete performance

5. A tool and technique used during the Collect Requirements process is:

   • prototypes.
   • expert judgment.
   • alternatives identification.
   • product analysis.
   Explanation:
   Process: 5.2 Collect Requirements
   Definition: The process of determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs and requirements to meet project objectives.
   Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it provides the basis for defining and managing the project scope including product scope.
   Inputs
   1. Scope management plan
   2. Requirements management plan
   3. Stakeholder management plan
   4. Project charter
   5. Stakeholder register
   Tools & Techniques
   1. Interviews
   2. Focus groups
   3. Facilitated workshops
   4. Group creativity techniques
   5. Group decision-making techniques
   6. Questionnaires and surveys
   7. Observations
   8. Prototypes
   9. Benchmarking
   10. Context diagrams
   11. Document analysis
   Outputs
   1. Requirements documentation
   2. Requirements traceability matrix

6. One of the objectives of a quality audit is to:

   • highlight the need for root cause analysis.
   • share the process documentation among stakeholders.
   • offer assistance with non-value-added activities.
   • identify all of the gaps or shortcomings.

7. While preparing the project management plan on a weekly basis, the project manager indicates the intention to provide an issues report to the staff via e-mail. In which part of the plan will this type of information be included?

   • Communications management plan
   • Human resource plan
   • Quality management plan
   • Procurement management plan
   Explanation:

   10.1.3.1 Communications Management Plan
   The communications management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how project communications will be planned, structured, monitored, and controlled. The plan contains the following information:
   – Stakeholder communication requirements;
   – Information to be communicated, including language, format, content, and level of detail;
   – Reason for the distribution of that information;
   – Time frame and frequency for the distribution of required information and receipt of acknowledgment or response, if applicable;
   – Person responsible for communicating the information;
   – Person responsible for authorizing release of confidentialrefining information;
   – Person or groups who will receive the information;
   – Methods or technologies used to convey the information, such as memos, e-mail, and/or press releases;
   – Resources allocated for communication activities, including time and budget;
   – Escalation process identifying time frames and the management chain (names) for escalation of issues that cannot be resolved at a lower staff level;
   – Method for updating and refining the communications management plan as the project progresses and develops;
   – Glossary of common terminology;
   – Flow charts of the information flow in the project, workflows with possible sequence of authorization, list of reports, and meeting plans, etc.; and
   – Communication constraints usually derived from a specific legislation or regulation, technology, and organizational policies, etc.

   The communications management plan can also include guidelines and templates for project status meetings, project team meetings, e-meetings, and e-mail messages. The use of a project website and project management software can also be included if these are to be used in the project.

8. Which tool or technique can a project manager use to select in advance a team member who will be crucial to the task?

   • Acquisition
   • Negotiation
   • Virtual team
   • Pre-assignment
   Explanation:
   9.2.2.1 Pre-assignment
   When project team members are selected in advance, they are considered pre-assigned. This situation can occur if the project is the result of specific people being identified as part of a competitive proposal, if the project is dependent upon the expertise of particular persons, or if some staff assignments are defined within the project charter.

9. Which of the following is a group decision-making technique?

   • Brainstorming
   • Focus groups
   • Affinity diagram
   • Plurality

10. Which statement correctly describes the value of a business case?

    • It provides the necessary information to determine if a project is worth the required investment.
    • It provides for alternative dispute resolution procedures in event of contract default.
    • It offers one of several alternative scenarios which assist in performing qualitative risk analysis.
    • It is used to help a project manager understand the scope of commercial advantages.
    Explanation:

    4.1.1.2 Business Case
    The business case or similar document describes the necessary information from a business standpoint to determine whether or not the project is worth the required investment. It is commonly used for decision making by managers or executives above the project level. Typically, the business need and the cost-benefit analysis are contained in the business case to justify and establish boundaries for the project, and such analysis is usually completed by a business analyst using various stakeholder inputs. The sponsor should agree to the scope and limitations of the business case. The business case is created as a result of one or more of the following:
    – Market demand (e.g., a car company authorizing a project to build more fuel-efficient cars in response to gasoline shortages),
    – Organizational need (e.g., due to high overhead costs a company may combine staff functions and streamline processes to reduce costs.),
    – Customer request (e.g., an electric utility authorizing a project to build a new substation to serve a new industrial park),
    – Technological advance (e.g., an airline authorizing a new project to develop electronic tickets instead of paper tickets based on technological advances),
    – Legal requirement (e.g., a paint manufacturer authorizing a project to establish guidelines for handling toxic materials),
    – Ecological impacts (e.g., a company authorizing a project to lessen its environmental impact), or
    – Social need (e.g., a nongovernmental organization in a developing country authorizing a project to provide potable water systems, latrines, and sanitation education to communities suffering from high rates of cholera).

    Each of the examples in this list may contain elements of risk that should be addressed. In the case of multiphase projects, the business case may be periodically reviewed to ensure that the project is on track to deliver the business benefits. In the early stages of the project life cycle, periodic review of the business case by the sponsoring organization also helps to confirm that the project is still aligned with the business case. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that the project effectively and efficiently meets the goals of the organization and those requirements of a broad set of stakeholders, as defined in the business case.

11. Which of the following includes how requirements activities will be planned, tracked, and reported?

    • Configuration management plan
    • Scope baseline
    • Requirements management plan
    • Schedule baseline
    Explanation:
    5.1.3.2 Requirements Management Plan
    The requirements management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed. The phase-to-phase relationship, described in Section 2.4.2.1, strongly influences how requirements are managed. The project manager chooses the most effective relationship for the project and documents this approach in the requirements management plan. Many of the requirements management plan components are based on that relationship.
    Components of the requirements management plan can include, but are not limited to:
    • How requirements activities will be planned, tracked, and reported;
    • Configuration management activities such as: how changes to the product will be initiated, how impacts will be analyzed, how they will be traced, tracked, and reported, as well as the authorization levels required to approve these changes;
    • Requirements prioritization process;
    • Product metrics that will be used and the rationale for using them; and
    • Traceability structure to reflect which requirement attributes will be captured on the traceability matrix.

12. Which type of dependency is contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work?

    • External
    • Lead
    • Discretionary
    • Mandatory
    Explanation:

    6.3.2.2 Dependency Determination
    Dependencies may be characterized by the following attributes: mandatory or discretionary, internal or external, as described below. Dependency has four attributes, but two can be applicable at the same time in following ways: mandatory external dependencies, mandatory internal dependencies, discretionary external dependencies, or discretionary internal dependencies.

    – Mandatory dependencies. Mandatory dependencies are those that are legally or contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work. Mandatory dependencies often involve physical limitations, such as on a construction project, where it is impossible to erect the superstructure until after the foundation has been built, or on an electronics project, where a prototype has to be built before it can be tested.

    Mandatory dependencies are also sometimes referred to as hard logic or hard dependencies. Technical dependencies may not be mandatory. The project team determines which dependencies are mandatory during the process of sequencing the activities. Mandatory dependencies should not be confused with assigning schedule constraints in the scheduling tool.

    – Discretionary dependencies. Discretionary dependencies are sometimes referred to as preferred logic, preferential logic, or soft logic. Discretionary dependencies are established based on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area or some unusual aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired, even though there may be other acceptable sequences. Discretionary dependencies should be fully documented since they can create arbitrary total float values and can limit later scheduling options. When fast tracking techniques are employed, these discretionary dependencies should be reviewed and considered for modification or removal. The project team determines which dependencies are discretionary during the process of sequencing the activities.
    External dependencies. External dependencies involve a relationship between project activities and non-project activities. These dependencies are usually outside the project team’s control. For example, the testing activity in a software project may be dependent on the delivery of hardware from an external source, or governmental environmental hearings may need to be held before site preparation can begin on a construction project. The project management team determines which dependencies are external during the process of sequencing the activities.
    – Internal dependencies. Internal dependencies involve a precedence relationship between project activities and are generally inside the project team’s control. For example, if the team cannot test a machine until they assemble it, this is an internal mandatory dependency. The project management team determines which dependencies are internal during the process of sequencing the activities.

13. The contract in which the seller is reimbursed for all allowable costs for performing the contract work and then receives a fee based upon achieving certain performance objectives is called a:

    • Cost Plus Incentive Fee Contract (CPIF).
    • Cost Plus Fixed Fee Contract (CPFF).
    • Fixed Price Incentive Fee Contract (FPIF).
    • Time and Material Contract (T&M).

14. The process improvement plan details the steps for analyzing processes to identify activities which enhance their:

    • quality.
    • value.
    • technical performance.
    • status.
    Explanation:
    8.1.3.2 Process Improvement Plan
    The process improvement plan is a subsidiary or component of the project management plan (Section 4.2.3.1).
    The process improvement plan details the steps for analyzing project management and product development processes to identify activities that enhance their value.
    Areas to consider include:
    – Process boundaries. Describe the purpose of the process, the start and end of the process, its inputs and outputs, the process owner, and the stakeholders of the process.
    – Process configuration. Provides a graphic depiction of processes, with interfaces identified, used to facilitate analysis.
    – Process metrics. Along with control limits, allows analysis of process efficiency.
    – Targets for improved performance. Guide the process improvement activities.

15. When cost variance is negative and schedule variance is positive, the project is:

    • under budget and behind schedule.
    • over budget and ahead of schedule.
    • on schedule.
    • complete; all planned values have been earned.

16. Which of the following is an estimating technique that uses the values of parameters from previous similar projects for estimating the same parameter or measure for a current project?

    • Reserve analysis
    • Three-point estimating
    • Parametric estimating
    • Analogous estimating
    Explanation:
    7.2.2.2 Analogous Estimating
    Analogous cost estimating uses the values such as scope, cost, budget, and duration or measures of scale such as size, weight, and complexity from a previous, similar project as the basis for estimating the same parameter or measurement for a current project. When estimating costs, this technique relies on the actual cost of previous, similar projects as the basis for estimating the cost of the current project. It is a gross value estimating approach, sometimes adjusted for known differences in project complexity.
    Analogous cost estimating is frequently used to estimate a value when there is a limited amount of detailed information about the project, for example, in the early phases of a project. Analogous cost estimating uses historical information and expert judgment

17. The group technique that enhances brainstorming with a voting process used to rank the most useful ideas for prioritization is called the:

    • majority rule technique.
    • nominal group technique.
    • Delphi technique,
    • idea/mind mapping technique.
    Explanation:
    5.2.2.4 Group Creativity Techniques
    Several group activities can be organized to identify project and product requirements. Some of the group creativity techniques that can be used are:
    – Brainstorming. A technique used to generate and collect multiple ideas related to project and product requirements. Although brainstorming by itself does not include voting or prioritization, it is often used with other group creativity techniques that do.
    – Nominal group technique. A technique that enhances brainstorming with a voting process used to rank the most useful ideas for further brainstorming or for prioritization.
    – Idea/mind mapping. A technique in which ideas created through individual brainstorming sessions are consolidated into a single map to reflect commonality and differences in understanding, and generate new ideas.
    – Affinity diagram. A technique that allows large numbers of ideas to be classifed into groups for review and analysis.
    – Multicriteria decision analysis. A technique that utilizes a decision matrix to provide a systematic analytical approach for establishing criteria, such as risk levels, uncertainty, and valuation, to evaluate and rank many ideas.

18. At which stage of team development do members begin to work together, adjust work habits, and trust each other?

    • Forming
    • Storming
    • Norming
    • Performing

19. Which of the following can be used as an input for Define Scope?

    • Product analysis
    • Project charter
    • Scope baseline
    • Project scope statement
    Explanation:

    4.1.3.1 Project Charter
    The project charter is the document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. It documents the business needs, assumptions, constraints, the understanding of the customer’s needs and high-level requirements, and the new product, service, or result that it is intended to satisfy, such as:
    – Project purpose or justification,
    – Measurable project objectives and related success criteria,
    – High-level requirements,
    – Assumptions and constraints,
    – High-level project description and boundaries,
    – High-level risks,
    – Summary milestone schedule,
    – Summary budget,
    – Stakeholder list,
    – Project approval requirements (i.e., what constitutes project success, who decides the project is successful, and who signs off on the project),
    – Assigned project manager, responsibility, and authority level, and
    – Name and authority of the sponsor or other person(s) authorizing the project charter.

    Process: 5.3 Define Scope
    Definition: The process of developing a detailed description of the project and product.
    Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it describes the product, service, or result boundaries by defining which of the requirements collected will be included in and excluded from the project scope.

    Inputs
    1. Scope management plan
    2. Project charter
    3. Requirements documentation
    4. Organizational process assets
    Tools & Techniques
    1. Expert judgment
    2. Product analysis
    3. Alternatives generation
    4. Facilitated workshops
    Outputs
    1. Project scope statement
    2. Project documents updates

20. A project manager has created an issue log to document issues communicated by project team members during weekly team meetings. This is an input of:

    • Manage Stakeholder Expectations.
    • Monitor and Control Risks.
    • Plan Risk Management.
    • Report Performance.